It has been a crazy month. I’ve been quarantined and tested and poked and prodded. I had some kind of bug that fortunately didn’t blow up into something worse. but the stress of all that has been a nightmare. Adding to that are the chuckleheads who still don’t follow any sort of common sense and continue to make things worse. Sigh.

The holiday season means this stupid GMC add is back. Who the Hell gives another person a truck anyway? There are some serious economic headaches happening right now and it is crass to encourage people people to spend their cash or go deep into debt for something like this. Plus who lives like this? Certainly no one I know.

Who needs a truck that big? I know there are people who haul and build and move things but these things look like tanks. These are stupid vacuous people.

A few quick points about Thanksgiving

-Miles Standish was a jerk

-The Pilgrims were religious zealots.

-The last piece of turkey is the most important piece of turkey!

-The Native Americans saved the Pilgrims ass that winter!

-Be thankful and be kind

One of my recent discoveries is the New York Adventure Club. They have been doing these online webinars about different topics related to New York.

So far I have watched ones on Mary Pickford, The New York Subway and NYC in the 70s and 80s. All were excellent. They have pivoted to an online format really well and as someone who used to live in the big city, it is a way to reconnect it at a time when I miss it terribly. For info and a list of tours visit: https://www.nyadventureclub.com

There is a new season of The Crown. I have to say that Olivia Colman is just stunning in it. Gillian Anderson’s Thatcher is macabre and terrifying.

The last thing I want to see right now is Thatcher, yet her macabre performance is simply incredible.

The Mandalorian also continues to make me happy. It is so well written and executed within the Star Wars universe. I am curious to see where all of this is going. They are artfully laying little breadcrumbs lying around to tempt us all.

I think I need to watch The Expanse.

The St. Louis International Film Festival is over for 2020. I saw about 19-21 things over the fest and the programming was varied, informative, daring and compelling. There are some amazing filmmakers out there doing great stuff.

I will probably post of other films stuff later as well, but here are three which I think will eventually come out in theaters or streaming.

I really liked The Bare Necessity. It’s an odd and quirky debut film from Erwan Le Duc that really emphasizes living life to the fullest.

A big hit at Cannes, it is a well acted light romp that makes you feel good during all of this mess we are in.

Citizens of the World was another favorite. Directed by Gianni Di Gregorio and starring Ennio Fantastichini, Giorgio Colangeli and the aforementioned Gianni Di Gregorio, it is a calm film about a trio of pensioners who think about bailing on their lives in Rome for better pastures like Bulgaria and the Azores.

Motivated by the high cost of living in Rome and a nagging sense of needing to find fulfillment in their lives they set out on a journey of self discovery. It is warm, funny and I cannot wait to see it again.

Undine is the new film by German auteur Christian Petzold. I loved his previous film, Transit and this one brings some of that cast together into new territories. His films Phoenix and Barbara are also worth investigating.

Franz Rogowski is great in everything and this film is no exception. He’s a master and emoting emotion nonverbally while still being able to be remain intense onscreen.

I have started Scott Eyman’s biography of Cary Grant. I wanted to read something that had politics or heavy history. I have seen a bunch of his movies and after reading a few reviews decided to get this from my library.

His body of work on film is pretty solid and I especially love his stuff with Hitchcock. This has been informative and fun without being over gossipy. As a complete aside, I loved how they had a character on The Flinstones named Cary Granite.

I got asked to do one of these year-end best of music things. It’s been annoying to work on. But it is done.

Here are my favorite 15 records of the year.

Fiona Apple-Fetch the Bolt Cutters-Epic
The Beths-Jump Rope Gazers
Phoebe Bridgers-Punisher-Dead Cceans
Tim Burgess-I Love the New Sky-PIAS
Fontaines D.C,-A Hero’s Death-partisan
I Like Trains-Kompromat-Atlantic Curve
IDLES-Ultra Mon-Partisan
Pet Shop Boys-Hotspot-X2
Porridge Radio-Every Bad-Dead Oceans
Psychedelic Furs-Made of Rain Cooking Vinyl
The Reds, Pinks & Purples-You Might Be happy Someday-Touch Love
Rolling Blackouts coastal Fever-Sideways to New Italy
Run the Jewels RTJ 4-BMG
The Wants-Container-Council Records
X-Alphabetland-Fat Possum

I recently watched a streaming concert by Fontaine’s D.C. It was pretty good. Even without a live audience to interact with they still have a raw and exuberant energy about them. Their new album, A Hero’s Death, dropped in July.

Tom yum soup needs to be more of a thing. It is so good on a cold day.

Well that is a wrap! Wear a mask! Stay safe!